The Villain Inside
by Lenhart-F
Summary: Lucy is surrounded by the magic of goodness that overflows inside her guild. She never had a reason to complain about it, but her experience as a writer is at stake when she tries to describe a villain and fails. She needs help to learn how a villain acts. Just who would be more fit than a devil slayer to tutor her in the subject? An intensive evil doing training awaits her.
1. Whispers

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

 **Tittle:** The Villain Inside

 **Note:** This fic is destinated to the Graylu week starting today. I will post the continuation of this fic on the other days and under the other tags. So, yeah... this is chapter one.

I don't know if I should put tags in here or when I send the link to the blog, so I'll do both. #graylu #whispers.

 **Especial thanks:** I'd like to thank Choco Forest, who has been an awesome friend and trusted me for almost 3 years to contribute to this event. Thank you so much for being the amazing person you are!

Oh... fyeahgrayluweek, thank you for the explanation you gave me too! I hope you like this little piece.

* * *

 **Day 1: Whispers**

Throughout her whole stay in Fairy Tail, Lucy had never experienced so much goodness in one place. People were always seen performing good deeds and helping each other. Fairy Tail was the shining example of an honorable guild when it comes to friendship and loyalty.

But lately, something had been bothering the girl. Late at night in her apartment, while working on one of her manuscripts, she came to the conclusion that her current story involved an extreme duality of good and evil as two opposite forces.

Lucy paused for a second tapping her paint drenched feather over her cheek. The blonde was mesmerized trying to understand why she would create a character that was completely evil or completely good. Such was the image of her creations so far.

It was just out of reality; it was unhuman for someone to be perfectly good or the other way around. She knew she had flaws, yet she was a good person. After a few minutes of contemplation, she realized she had never written a villain before.

No matter how hard she tried, her life was overwhelmed by the feeling of righteousness. She knew villains and fought them, but she had no idea how they felt behind the bad guy's mask, or how they should be put on paper.

She sighed while sitting on her desk. Lucy made a mental search for Fairy Tail's members that could help her understand the core of villainy. Gajeel, Laxus and Juvia were the first pictures that came to her mind since they were once proclaimed enemies.

She discarded Laxus immediately since she didn't have the courage nor level of intimacy to approach him asking about how a villain thinks and act. She could already see his face staring back at her in disbelief. Obviously, the same could be applied to Gajeel.

Juvia was just too hard to deal with, especially if Gray was around. Besides, the water mage was good at heart and pure in her intentions, she just had a tough childhood and ended up being misled in her ways.

Lucy stood up wiping the dust from her nightdress, frustration clear in her expression. She had absolutely no idea how she would overcome this new obstacle and her story was only half way done.

The girl dropped on her bed and curled against her sheets before the lights went out darkening her vision and temporary freeing her from her daily concerns.

Lucy found herself in a dark room held by chains while an evil mage attempted to torture her. She could see Natsu and Happy locked behind bars. Her heart raced and her pulse doubled as she tried to remain calm in that situation.

Just before the dark mage could touch her, she felt the room grow colder and the temperature drop significantly. The aggressor was now frozen where he stood and behind him came Gray Fullbuster. The ice maker was portrayed in an unusual outfit and his hairstyle was slightly different too, but what mostly called her attention was the black mark covering half of Gray's face.

Lucy woke up sweating intensely. She held a hand over her heart remembering what the nightmare she just had was all about; the Avatar guild and Gray's defection. She even smacked the poor mage across the face when he was innocently trying to help Erza.

It was his own fault for being such a good actor, he fooled not just her, but the entire team. Now that she thought about it, Gray had been portrayed as a villain at least three times in recent years.

Gray was the villainous Julius in the theater play they helped arrange, he was judged as a traitor when he joined forces with Daphne to lure Natsu into a fake trap, and finally, the Avatar guild.

He was the perfect candidate for Lucy's villainy intensive course. Lucy raised her tiny fists in joy and returned to sleep excited about her incoming experience as a fearsome dark mage.

Morning lights greeted Lucy's room and its owner jumped out of bed with a carefully planned routine for the day to come. She was the first to arrive at the guild that day. Pushing the gates open, she walked to the closest bench and waited anxiously for Gray's arrival.

The ice maker finally showed up putting an end to Lucy's anxiety. Now for the first stage of her plan, she needed to secure a safe location for a conversation with Gray, of course she already got that covered.

Minutes later, Gray arrived at the guild and was received with a loud invocation.

"Gray!"

The boy turned to meet his friend's energetic greeting and was surprised to see a cheerful smile in return. He wondered what could have caused such behavior, even though he quickly began to enjoy the attention.

"Yo!" Gray raised his hand saluting Lucy.

Lucy leaned close to his ear pressing her hands over his chest and began to induce a heart attack on poor Juvia. The blonde girl whispered ever so sweetly in Gray's ear. She kept a cute smile during her whole explanation, and what a huge explanation that was.

Apparently, Lucy's inability to choose a safe place for her conversation didn't go unnoticed by Juvia, who watched from a dark corner as killing intent started to take over her mind and soul. She moved from her bench and marched towards the pair feeling her sanity malfunction with every step she took.

The water mage was suddenly petrified when she noticed Gray returning Lucy's words with a smile of his own, and worst, he whispered back in the blonde's ear with the same amount of sweetness.

Gray made a face of clear confusion before replying to his friend. "That's a bit odd if you ask me, but whatever… I'm in." He stroked Lucy's hair before fleeing the scene; Juvia was the obvious cause behind his despair.

The remaining members didn't seem to notice the interaction, or simply didn't mind the event. They considered the affection on this level to be common amongst members, Juvia being the only exception.

After receiving a few light insults and accusations without proofs, Lucy ignored an angered Juvia and moved on to her usual routine at the guild, which involved not getting mixed up in general fighting over the most ridiculous reasons; trying to find a rare normal person to spend her time with and plan her evil laughs so it doesn't come out like she's having a convulsion

And that was when Natsu started a fight with Gray, the reasons are still unknown to most of the spectators, not that it mattered in the end. Gray was launched across the guild landing with his back first on the opposite wall. He climbed back on his feet and returned the kindness with a kick straight to Natsu's face.

Lucy watched the pair exchanging blows and offenses. She sat on her own paying close attention to the fighting when she had what she judged to be, a great idea.

"Stop!" She demanded. Her wish was conceived when both boys ceased their battle to listen to her. "I have an idea!"

She approached the duo placing a hand over their shoulders. "You two are going to help me with something." By now, the rest of the guild was already watching the episode.

"Natsu, you'll pretend Gray is a dark mage and you'll keep fighting him with that in mind." She explained to the fire mage who just nodded in return. Fortunately, Natsu wasn't the kind to ask too many questions.

"Gray!" She turned to her other friend with a brilliant smile. "You'll be my villain… I mean, you will be the villain." She corrected her misleading statement. "Fight Natsu like you're evil."

Understanding where the girl was trying to lead them, the ice maker agreed to the proposed and resumed his battle stance. Natsu followed his rival's example and joined in the fight.

Gray raised a hand and looked at Lucy to clear a sudden doubt he had. "Should I play the-" He never had the chance to finish his question as a hard knuckle hit him on his face.

"Oi!" The devil slayer complained furiously. "We're not started yet."

"I never saw the dark mages complaining because I attacked them without their authorization." Natsu barked. "You're making excuses."

"Salamander, that was low! Even for you." Shot Gajeel. Metalicana's apprentice was dully scolded by a concerned Levy.

"Let them be, you don't want to get involved, do you?"

"I do." He honestly answered making Levy regret her question.

The petite girl frowned before retorting. "But you won't!"

Gajeel obeyed failing to notice a snickering Lily trying his best not to enjoy the scene.

Back to the main event, Gray regained his composure and discarded his white coat. A black mark started to spread over his skin, covering the right side of his face down to his right arm. He also pushed his hair backwards reassuming his Avatar hairstyle.

"You just made it a lot easier for me to hit you." Declared Natsu. "I still hate this look of yours."

"You're free to try your luck…" Gray raised his voice in an oppressing way. "Your demise is certain." The devil slayer was quickly catching on the role of the dark mage.

Lucy took out a notebook from her purse and started taking notes.

Natsu and Gray continued to fight as seriously as they ever did in other occasions until Lucy interrupted them.

"Gray!" She called out, distracting the boy who was rewarded with another punch. The unprovoked impact sent Gray on the floor. "Natsu!" Lucy expressed dissatisfaction.

"What?" He shrugged. "He's the dark mage, it's obvious that I will win."

Lucy ignored her simple minded friend and kneeled beside Gray. "Are you ok?" She placed a hand over his fresh lesion.

"This is nothing. Don't worry about me."

"Alright." Lucy leaned to whisper more content to Gray. "Can you play the calm, mysterious villain? I think they're the coolest." She chuckled shortly beginning to feel attracted to the idea.

"No problem." Gray reassured her. "A cool and mysterious villain with a stoic face coming right up." He walked back into the battle already wearing his new designed character.

One might ask why Juvia wasn't interfering with the interactions between Gray and Lucy. The water mage was simply too delighted with Gray's alter ego to be able to pay attention to anything else. Seeing how Lucy was the creator of such a fantastic transformation, Juvia decided to call it truce and let the blonde work.

For the following two minutes, Gray only avoided Natsu's advances blocking his punches when he was unable to evade them. He kept an arrogant look on his face and smirked frequently.

"Ok, pause now." Gray ordered dodging another 'accidental' strike. "A fight between hero and villain needs dialog." He explained before starting said dialog. "I praise your spirit, but your mind is weak. I may overlook this flaw if you consider joining me."

Natsu jerked his arm to his side in denial. "Joining forces with you would mean giving up everything I ever fought for! I will wipe this cocky smirk off of your ugly face."

Lucy suddenly shouted. "Please don't!" Everyone turned to look at her. "I mean… don't take the cocky smirk off of his face…" She noticed people was still staring at her. "You see… I kind of like the cocky smirk on his face, so please… let it be?" She finished shyly.

Passed the awkwardness of Lucy's declaration, Natsu and Gray continued to fight like they were sworn enemies. Natsu would set his fists ablaze once or twice to show how committed he was to the little act.

"I can't lose here." Informed the dragon slayer. "I came too far to give up now. I'll win, for Fairy Tail, for my friends."

The usual friendship speech made Elfman drop a single tear of approval. "That's how a man should is. Well done, Natsu!"

"I will bring you back to our guild, Gray!" Roared the salamander.

"Alright then. I'm coming." Gray replied throwing his hair back into place and retrieved his black marks.

People's reaction varied from bursting laughter to shocked face.

Erza ran up to the ice mage to try and reason with him. "You can't just raise the white flag! You're a villain!"

"Guys… he spoke about his friends in the middle of a fight, if I learned anything about villains is that they should never bring friendship into their dialog with the hero. It's like giving the hero an infinite source of instant energy."

Lucy's jaw hanged down her chin. She couldn't believe Gray's words and its implications. "You're telling me that the only thing we need to defeat our enemies is to bring the friendship subject?"

"Yes… it's a cheap move if you ask me. Always works."

The fight ended without a winner and Lucy remained clueless as how to register that last piece of information. She shook her head forcing reality back inside her brain functions and dashed to Gray's side at the bar.

"Hey!" She approached the devil slayer from a blind spot and wasn't fast enough to deal with the unexpected.

Gray turned his face to meet the blonde and accidentally sealed his friend's lips with his. It was nothing like a real kiss, they just connected their mouths for a moment before letting go.

"I'm sorry… I-" Lucy didn't know how to react to the occurred. She gazed at the floor trying to regain composure. Once again, she whispered sugar coated words in Gray's ear. "Thank you for helping me. You were really cool." She smiled when she saw his cheeks go pink.

"Please… don't mind what just happened… and do something about Juvia." She pointed at the water mage who carried water blades on her arms.

Later that day, Juvia was ready to resume stalker mode, but she couldn't find her targets. Both Gray and Lucy seemed to be gone from the guild by now. She initiated an emergency search on her surroundings before leaving the guild shouting 'Gray-sama' every five seconds.

Just another day for Juvia at the guild.

Outside Fairy Tail, with the tranquility of the sunset aiding her in her task, Lucy began to put her words in order to form something close to a phrase. She was nervous, even more than she anticipated. She looked at Gray who constantly watched her, making the situation even more awkward.

"Well…" She left out trying to put an end to the tormenting silence. "You're the bad guy and I'm your new student." She gave him a wry smile. "Please, teach me."

* * *

 **A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while since I had a rush of a writing session like the one I had this week. My dear friend; Choco Forest asked me take part in a Graylu event starting today! 1 - 7 September.**

 **Forgive possible OOCness, I haven't been watching or reading Fairy tail like I used to.**

 **I must admit something, I'm no longer a Graylu shipper, but I'm still bound to a promise I made two years ago. Finally, I'm contributing to the Graylu week, but this story is simple and a bit rushed. Please understand that I have limited time to write and a lot of catching up to do with practice.**

 **See you tomorrow!**


	2. Déjà vu

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

 **Tittle:** The Villain Inside

 **Note:** Second day of Graylu week #graylu #déjà vu.

* * *

 **Day 2: Déjà vu**

"This is really awkward…" Gray confessed while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Lucy giggled at her friend's response. "Don't put too much thought into it. It's embarrassing for me too."

They continued their walk quietly until they reached Lucy's apartment. Lucy opened the door and went inside, but not before teasing the ice mage behind her.

"You won't have to barge in this time."

He just nodded in return.

Once they were inside, Lucy took a seat on her bed picking her notebook and a pencil, she was now ready to begin her annotations.

"Say, how should a villain act?"

Gray sighed heavily, astonished by Lucy's innocence. "Well… first of all, a villain should…"

The ice maker panicked, stuttering and speaking nonsense. His discomfort only became evident to Lucy when he sat on the floor. Visiting her apartment with the rest of the team was unarguably different from being invited on his own.

"What are you doing?" Asked Lucy.

"I'm teaching you."

"Of that I am aware, I mean why did you sit on the floor? Come, come…" She patted the seat next to her. "Join me."

Gray stood up and hesitatingly moved to take a seat next to Lucy.

"Now teach me. How should a villain outfit look like?"

He mused for a second. "Something dark, I guess." He made a quick scan on Lucy's choice of clothing. "Your clothes are way too nice for a villain. You need more black."

Lucy was taken aback by a moment. She still couldn't decide if she should be happy or angry about the comment.

"Your hair, it's all wrong, Lucy." Gray assumed a sitting position facing her and started releasing her side tail. "You should let it down in a classy way. Villains are usually rich and powerful, so you gotta look like the part."

Lucy held her breath and closed her eyes waiting for Gray's touch. She felt embarrassed and excited at the same time. Truth was, she was not used to being touched by boys in this matter.

Gray's hand slowly undid her side tail letting her hair fall down to its full length. "That's it, much better." He affirmed with a thumbs up.

"Do you think so?" She timidly asked. "I'm not used to it."

The simple sensation of having her hair stroked and caressed by someone else felt like magic to her. Her eyes began to close and she felt the urge to lean forward into Gray's palm.

Gray cupped Lucy's cheek with both hands. The action came without a warning, making the girl blush deeply.

"You're cute."

Lucy could feel the steam coming out of her face as soon as the ice mage's words registered in her brain. She opened her mouth to speak several times, but no sound escaped her trembling lips.

"Villains are not supposed to look cute, they are either ugly, or arrogant looking."

She regained enough control to speak again. "Y-You're going to make me look ugly?" She asked in concern.

"No… that would be too much trouble. Let's give you arrogance instead." He smirked with an optimistic face.

Lucy's eyes searched a spot to lock on, anywhere but into Gray's eyes. "Gray…" She started weakly. The girl waited for a reply that never came forcing her to press the subject. "Are you flirting with me by any chance?"

Gray raised an eyebrow as if his latest treatment directed to her had been the most friendly and respectful he ever gave someone. "It wasn't my intention."

"You keep saying these nice things about me… it makes me feel weird."

"It would be weird of me not to notice these nice things about you." Gray revealed feeling the first signs of embarrassment.

Lucy squeezed her hands in fists and forced her mind to expel the extra thoughts starting to cloud her best judgements.

"I see..." She spoke again. An incomprehensive warmth started to spread across her cheeks. "Thank you."

She wouldn't lie to herself, a compliment would always be welcomed, besides, she's never received any kindness regarding her appearance from a certain dragon slayer. It felt incredible to be noticed in an alternative light for once.

"Now we have to do something about your clothes too." He informed already making his way outside the apartment.

Lucy placed a hand on her waist and quirked an eyebrow. "What is wrong with the way I dress?"

"Nothing, but next to a real villain, you'd look like a sailor moon." He left the apartment before Lucy could protest any further.

The girl rushed after her teacher in a hurry. "But I like sailor moon!"

Lucy caught up with Gray unaware of their next destination. "Where are we headed to?" She questioned.

"An amusement park." He replied simply, reducing his speed to match hers.

"Eh?"

A couple of minutes later they arrived at a shopping center making Lucy wonder what exactly reminded Gray of an amusement park in that place.

"You said amusement park, right?"

"Yeah, pretty sure I did."

"Then… what are we doing in a shopping center?"

Gray paused to look at her. "I thought it was the same thing to girls." He resumed his walk leaving behind a counteracted Lucy. "Hurry up, it's getting late!" Summoned the ice maker.

Lucy quickened her pace once again. "Very funny." She said ironically. "Talk about male chauvinism. We're not all like that!"

Gray just chuckled in response.

* * *

"This blouse is sooo cute!" Lucy picked it up from a shelve and placed it over a pile of carefully selected clothes. "Gray! Being a villain doesn't seem so bad, are you sure we're doing it the right way?"

Gray scanned the store they were in when the question hit him. "Not quite yet. I'm still running recognition here." He searched for the nearest attendant and doubted his eyes for a second. "Lisanna…?"

The white-haired girl smiled cordially. "Yes. Easy mission for a couple of jewels. How can I help you?"

"Well…" Gray looked back at his blonde friend who was currently entering a fitting room. "I want to help someone with something…"

Lisanna made a face. "What kind of help are you trying to give this person?"

They went silent for a second before Lucy shouted from inside the fitting room. "Gray! It looks amazing. Being a villain is my new thing." They could hear Lucy's joyful giggle from where they stood.

This time Lisanna changed her expression to a suspicious one. "I see…" She implied maliciously. "You got a girlfriend, right? But Lucy? Will it be your first gift, what to pick?" Lisanna started to share part of Lucy's enthusiasm.

"No way, you got it all wrong." Gray tried to defend himself, but was completely overwhelmed by Lisanna's unstoppable babble.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She pushed the ice maker to another section of the store and started showing him an infinity of clothes.

Meanwhile, Lucy came out of the fitting room with a handful of other clothes while wearing her favorite ones. "How do I look?" Asked the girl. Her joy was quickly scattered and stolen by the sight she just had. Lisanna was holding Gray's arm and dragging him around the store with the smile of a little girl on her face. Lucy didn't understand where the feeling of jealousy came from, but it was there. Maybe it had something to do with female competition over the most trivial things, but even then she felt like wining, no matter how small the matter.

Lucy popped up between the two mages making them fall apart. "I'm sorry… am I interrupting anything?" She gave her back to Lisanna staring directly at Gray.

"N-No… nothing at all."

"Excuse me, I'll go help someone else." Lisanna felt daggers piercing her back as she headed back to her counter.

The celestial spirit mage waited for Gray to stop panicking before she could speak again. "Ahem. May I have your opinion on this?"

"This…" Gray studied the girl from head to toe. "What exactly?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Clothes. What else would it be?"

"You're stunning."

Both Lisanna and Lucy were completely taken off guard by the open compliment. "Thank you…" Replied Lucy, less embarrassed than she anticipated and a lot more at ease than she judged safe.

"But we'll have to work on something else for now." Gray took a few clothes he separated and accompanied Lucy to the fitting room. "Try these on."

"Alright."

A few minutes later, the girl walked out of the fitting room looking pale as she did. "Is this really necessary?" She asked while looking herself in the mirror.

"Wow! Lucy, now we're talking. You definitely won't be mistaken for Tinker Bell now."

Lucy smiled wryly before replying in an almost inaudible tone. "But I like Tinker Bell."

Lisanna gave her approval from behind the counter.

The clothes weren't terrible as Lucy made them look, but they would never be seen in her closet if she had something to say about it. The pieces were dark, but delicate, accessories and details gave the blonde an air of a high class princess with a hint of darkness.

"These are perfect." Gray enforced his decision. "We're taking it. "He informed Lisanna."

"Wait!" Lucy interrupted the transition. "Can I try the other ones first?"

Gray pondered for a while. "Alright, but make it quick." He gave up without much resistance. He didn't want to have to deal with puppy eyes and _pretty pleases_ , not now.

Lucy headed in and out of the fitting room while Gray sat on a bench waiting for her return.

"How about this one?" She asked cheerily.

Gray raised his head and shook it right after he saw the light blue dress she was wearing. He picked the nearest female shoe he could find and kneeled before Lucy. "Excuse me, but you lost this while you were on the run yesterday past midnight."

Lucy squealed in delight. "Do I really look like her?"

Gray held a blank face while answering. "Looking like Ariel isn't a good thing when you want to be the villain."

The girl frowned. "It's not Ariel… she doesn't even have feet." Lucy went back into the fitting room to try something else. "Dummy." She cursed under her breath.

She continued to try out different outfits, in one occasion, she came out and received another halfhearted reply, making her face heat with anger. She came again and this time Gray looked like he had seen a ghost.

"What the… haven't you just tried this one?" He asked curiously.

His demanding companion just pointed at her wrist before disappearing behind curtains. Gray turned his head to look at Lisanna, hoping to understand what he just missed.

"Déjà vu?"

Lisanna was still trying to stop laughing before she could clarify his mistake. "She had added an accessory."

"Is an accessory really that important?" His question remained unanswered as Lucy made a major entrance with her last choice of clothing.

She walked slowly, a bit of sadness was clear in the way she moved. "I promise this is the last one." Her voice was also blurred by a sad tone.

Gray realized he had wronged the girl and walked closer to her trying to fix his late treatment. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I know this kind of stuff is important to girls. I just never had a girlfriend or anything close to that… so…"

Lucy was stuck at first, failing to understand where this conversation was heading. She decided to wait and see what Gray had to tell her.

"All your choices made you look great. Like I told you before, making you look ugly would be a hell of a challenge, but we need something for _that_ purpose." He tried to hide his intentions so Lisanna wouldn't suspect them, but he accidentally made themselves look like a couple with something to hide.

Lisanna just wished she had camouflage as one of her skills.

The blonde approached Gray with a loss of words. "Where you always this nice? She asked without a trace of hesitation.

"I guess…"

Lucy hugged her friend ignoring the audience. She whispered in his ear without breaking their contact. "I had fun. Let's do this again some time."

* * *

Back at Lucy's apartment, they moved to the bed after Lucy finished changing into her villain's clothes. Gray paid for it and refused any come back Lucy would throw at him.

"Now we only need a bit of make up to make you look like an evil mistress."

"I should wear some then." She sped to the bathroom. Just before going inside it, the girl added. "To look villainous!" She cracked what was supposed to be an evil laugh. Her throat hurt and she coughed a bit. "That came out wrong!"

"We'll have to work on your evil laugh, Lucy!" The devil slayer stated covering his face, concerned about the amount of work he'd have to put through.

The girl took her sweet time applying the _arrogance_ on her face. When she returned to her room, Gray was resting his back against the bed headboard with his eyes closed.

"Took you long enough!" Gray complained without opening his eyes. "Let's get to it!"

"Yes!" Lucy adjusted her composure to stand in a proper villainy manner.

The ice mage hopped out of bed and walked closer to Lucy. He slowly studied her face from one corner to the other.

"You pass." He congratulated her by giving his friends two taps on her shoulder. "Now show me your best villain. Pretend I'm Natsu."

Before Lucy could utter a single word, Gray started imitating a monkey as he walked around in circles. "Look at me! I'm all fired up! I can't ride anything. Let's go, Happy! I'll protect my friends. Fire tastes like chicken!"

He noticed Lucy wasn't reacting anymore and stopped to verify what made her skin go three tones under pale.

"How's my Natsu?"

Her face was as serious as it gets. "I prefer not to share my opinion on what I just saw."

Gray shrugged. "Your call, but look out now, I'm coming to defeat you with the rest of my team. What is the first thing you say when you see Natsu arriving at your castle?"

"Stop destroying my castle!" She shouted in true anger. "You'll waste half the mission reward rebuilding my castle!"

Gray scratched the back of his head in contemplation of such display of sympathy from someone who is diligently trying to destroy you. "No, no, no… villains don't command; they threat." He cleared his throat before giving his version of the evil welcome. "I wanted to give you a quick death, but seeing how you ruined this place, I will have to savor your demise thoroughly."

"Wooh! I get it now!" She clapped her palms. Lucy ran until she reached a wall and pretended to have a hostage, a tiny one at it. "Stop now, or the cat dies!"

Gray covered his mouth trying his best to suppress his laughter. He looked at Lucy puffing her cheeks and trying to look infuriated. Moreover, the pout she let loose was making it hard for him to keep a straight face.

"You gotta be kidding me." He burst out laughing until his stomach ached. "Lucy! You can't be the villain; you're too cute to be scary."

"No way…" She mumbled under her breath. "And thanks, you're so sweet." The blonde held her face in her palms embarrassedly.

"Listen, I'll be the villain from now on." He tried to convince her. "It's pretty easy after you try it. Watching a villain's speech is like watching soap opera, they're all predictable."

Lucy raised a finger to cover her lips. "Do you watch soap opera?"

"No!" He said out loud, alarming the poor blonde. "Focus."

"Ok!" Answered a high spirited Lucy.

Gray resumed the act. "Look at each one of you, standing before me like you'd stand a chance. Spare my time, come all at once, the world shall no longer be tainted with naïve fairies!"

"I won't let you, as long as I draw brea-"

"Silence!"

Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine, raising her arms protectively "I'm sorry." She shut her lips tightly and waited for further instructions.

Gray let his body fall back on the bed. "This will be harder than I thought…"

* * *

 **A/N: That was it for chapter two. I'm having a bit of trouble to write since I'm rewriting all my chapters, I hope I can make it in time. I'm very demanding with the things I do. Again, I know it's rushed, but I really don't have the time to write something deeper like when I wrote One Week Ago.**

 **I also don't have internet access at home, so I'm posting at work without ckecking for errors. Please forgive spelling mistakes or any other mistake you might encounter.**

 **See you tomorrow.**


	3. Notes

**Sorry for the delay! I read a review that made me find the time to continue this one! Guys, thank you so much for the support, I admit that reading the manga strips me out of my inspiration to write Graylu when it has clear hints of Nalu all over it, but… I'll do my best to fuel your expectations of Graylu success.**

* * *

 **Day 3: Notes**

It's been a week since Lucy decided to externalize the villain inside her. She's been monitored by Gray, whom she judged to be the most suitable member of her team to teach her about the villain life.

They kept meeting for lessons on being evil, sometimes even in public places. Her clothes changed with the process, she looked darker and refused to return to her old self until she had mastered the art of evildoing.

It goes without saying that her friends started to worry about the sudden change. Levy was currently trying to get to the bottom of this mysterious metamorphose as she and Lucy shared a table during lunch.

"Everyone is asking, Lucy. What's going on?"

Lucy smiled at her friend's concern. She knew there was nothing to worry about. "I'm alright, Levy." She waved her hands hoping to end the subject."

"But you look so different… and lately you've been distant." Levy's voice was tender trying to hit a soft spot on the celestial spirit mage, but Lucy was determined to write the ultimate villain.

"I'll be fine, you'll see. Just give me a couple of weeks." Lucy glanced at the clock and noticed it was past the time she usually had a meeting with Gray for their darkness inducing tutoring.

"Have you seen Gray?" The girl asked a bit concerned. "He's late."

Levy stood bewildered for a second. "I never knew you two had scheduled time on the guild." Her attention was conquered. "What about his late coming?"

"Nothing." Lucy faked lack of interest.

Faking was one of the abilities Lucy had developed over the week. Her indifference gave place to screaming and fighting coming from another part of the guild.

"You want to fight, flame breath?! Bring it on!" Gray's voice echoed across the guild.

"You bet, droopy eyes!" Natsu and Gray had their usual forehead clash. "What have you done to Lucy? I see you two walking home together every day."

That little piece of information made Juvia choke on her drink. All the other members sent glares to the ice mage who could do little to defend himself. Lucy flushed deep crimson knowing her walks with Gray were exposed.

"Hold on!" The blonde smashed her hands over the table in front of her. The aggressive gesture and the loud bang it emitted seemed to be successful at earning her guild mates' attention.

"Why are you blaming Gray for whatever happened to me? I'm responsible for myself, if you guys have a problem with the way I am now, then you should be talking to me instead of troubling Gray!"

Natsu ignored each and every word coming out of his friend's lips. "Lucy! You started looking like you came straight out of a dark guild after you began to hang around with Gray!" Natsu accused.

"Maybe that devil slaying magic has been affecting people around Gray!" Someone blurted without thinking. "He spent time with Daphne and that Avatar guild. He also has the devil's mark! Who knows what that thing might be doing to him." As a slow, but constant pace, the guild was drowned into the speculations. They were engulfed in an argument trying to reach a consensus regarding Gray's magic origin.

"Enough!" Erza shouted angrily. "You're all out of your minds! Instead of creating unnecessary rumors, why don't we ask him directly?" Erza turned her attention to Gray. "Please, explain to us. Show them all that they are wrong about you."

Gray took a deep breath before giving his answer. He closed his eyes and smirked sarcastically. "I'm not in the right to explain anything." The ice maker walked past Lucy teasing her one more time. "I'm sorry, Lucy, you'll have to finish your villain on your own." He stopped by the bar and ordered a drink.

That last remark left everyone wondering. People started murmuring until Lucy escalated the volume inside the room. "Guys?" She turned around to face the guild, contained rage filling her eyes. She paused before speaking the first words lined up in front of the social filter inside her head.

A bit calmer, Lucy could continue her rant. "He was helping me with my villain. I'm writing a villain in my current story, but I had no idea how a villain was or how it should act." She explained much to everyone's dismay.

"I was embarrassed at first, so I decided not to expose it, but you went ahead of yourselves and made a scene." The girl sat back trying to relax looking helpless as she did. "That was really unnecessary."

Levy placed a hand over her friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I didn't know." She let her words be followed by unwanted silence until anticipation became unbearable. "But you know… you could have told me. I'd help you anytime."

"Thank you." She tried to sound genuine, but her voice alone was enough to indicate otherwise.

Some people approached Gray to ease up the heavy atmosphere they left with their accusations. Fairy tail's ice mage was a comprehensive person, very easy to deal with. He would just change subjects every time someone tried to apologize. A few mages went as far as to ask him to show his black marks. He would just do as he was asked and expose the source of his troubles.

Gray became a celebrity for a day. He didn't like it at all. He enjoyed his laid back days at the guild without people bugging him with stupid questions about his magic. If he was the devil slayer, why would he become a demon in the first place? He tried to reason with the curious mages for as many times as his patience allowed him to.

The turmoil died out eventually and the guild's activities were back to routine without further implications. Juvia spent the day beside Gray, she refused to leave him before the sky turned dark and the first stars enlightened the night.

When everyone was about to leave, Lucy pursued Juvia holding her by the arm. "Juvia, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Juvia watched Gray's figure becoming distant. She already regretted her future decision. "Juvia wouldn't mind."

"Why didn't you leave Gray's side to-"

Lucy's question was brutally interrupted by an overjoyed Salamander. "Lucy! Happy and I are going for a snack! Will you tag along?" He didn't wait for an answer before starting to pull the girl by her wrist.

"Wait! Natsu!"

Lucy looked at Juvia trying to finish her sentence, but she was being pulled way too hard and fast for comfort.

The water mage remained still as the trio disappeared from her sight. "Because Juvia knew Gray-sama needed it." She concluded only to herself. "Because Juvia always know when Gray-sama is hiding his feelings."

Gray walked alone his path back to his house. His usual cool and distinct look now gave place to a frown as he sighed heavily. "Hell… this guild can get tiring at times." He muttered to no one in particular.

"Tell me about it." Answered a familiar voice.

Under the street lights involved in the calm and tranquility of the soothing night sounds, Erza walked out of a dark corner to greet the troubled ice maker. "You look like you could use some company."

Gray tried to avoid the subject, but he discarded all his chances of escaping when another heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Alright… I surrender. This had, without a doubt, been one of the longest days at the guild."

Erza joined the boy on his walk with a smirk. "So to put it simply…?"

"I'm annoyed as hell." He continued to walk in silence for a moment and then added words to his current state of mind. "Annoyed wouldn't be the right word…"

Erza's features were touched by surprise. "What word would best describe what you feel now?" She asked encouragingly.

"I don't know…" Gray searched his vocabulary for a proper word, one that would suffice his frustration and explain his feelings, but he couldn't. Instead, he came up with an endless line of words, and before he noticed, all of them were thrown at the titania.

"Sadness, anger and some sort of regret." He confessed. "But mostly…" Gray looked at the canal that crossed the town and saw his reflected image on the water. "Mostly disappointed."

"You know they didn't mean it, right?" Erza placed a hand over her friend's shoulder. "They love you as much as they love everyone else in the guild. Friends will make mistakes and do you wrong, but you shouldn't let a few misplaced words destroy years of bonding."

"You talk like it's been the first time."

Erza was once again struck by surprise. "Isn't it?" She removed her hand from his shoulder and forced eye contact.

The night breeze blew softly making the duo stop their conversation for a moment. The moon shone over the flowing waters giving it a serene aspect. The soft water sounds made the scenery even more calming, but Gray could still see flames in front of him.

"No…" He finally replied. "I was doubted twice, judged as a traitor."

"But that was what you wanted everyone to believe, wasn't it?" Erza pondered. "It just means you made a great job." She noticed Gray staring right into his reflex. His gaze was fixed on his own image and he wouldn't even blink at the sight.

"What do you see?" She asked.

Gray looked at her in a curious way. "What do you mean?" He retorted.

"I mean, what do you see when you look at your reflex?"

Puzzled by the question, Gray focused his gaze on the water once again. "I see a blurry image of myself. Why?" He chose to answer it as bluntly as he could, no real research for a deeper meaning was required.

Erza smiled at his reply. "Is that all you see?" She sat at the edge of the canal and unequipped her boots letting her feet get caught in the water. "I remember being in your shoes a while back… when we were kids. Who would have guessed the opposite would happen after a few years?" She reminded him of the time she was feeling sad and ran away to the riverside to be alone. "You found me there by myself and comforted me, do you remember?"

"Yes… I do." Gray removed his shoes and sat by her side.

"What you just saw… that blurry image of yourself. This is how strangers first see each other." She stated. "When I met you, I saw you like that." Erza smiled once again. "And when you would bug me to fight you, I'd see you like this." She agitated the water with her feet making his reflex look messy.

Gray chuckled a bit. "Yeah, right… I guess I was a bit of a brat."

Erza raised an eyebrow. "A bit?" She asked ironically. "You were a total brat." The red-haired woman laughed briefly before continuing with her speech. "But time passed and I got to know you better and better." The devil slayer felt her mood changing again. Erza pushed further.

"I saw you risk your life countless times, I saw you suffer and I saw you bleed… for me." She faced his direction making the boy flush. "I saw you put my safety before yours, I saw you try to give your life away for the sake of your friends… what was that spell's name? Iced Shell?" Ice Shelter?"

The ice maker shook his head. "The name is not important; I'm not using it… so just forget about it." He felt a cold hand over his own and panicked for a second. "Erza…?"

"I saw who you really are. You're not a blurry image anymore." She pushed his hands onward along with her own. "Freeze the water and see it for yourself."

Gray nodded and started to freeze the water creating a thin layer of ice over it. He saw his own image becoming clear as consequence; the blurry aspect was gone giving place to a perfect reflection of his figure. Erza was smiling brightly by his side. "Didn't I tell you? Your magic is the most beautiful… how could something so beautiful be considered evil?"

"Erza…" He was taken aback by the sincerity in her tone and the comfort he felt with the sound of her voice. "Thank you."

"This is how I see you now." She let go of his hand and rose back on her feet. "This is how the guild sees you and this is certainly how you should see yourself." She wore a more serious expression assuming her usual strong posture. "I can't leave you like this… come with me. I have something that will make you feel better."

"Fine by me, but can we go somewhere first? I need to do something."

"You're going to Lucy's apartment, aren't you?"

Gray felt his face burn with embarrassment. "How the hell did you know?"

"What are you surprised for?" She asked bluntly. "It's actually pretty obvious."

"How come it's obvious?"

"When I told you to be honest with Juvia about your feelings, what did you think I meant? I always knew you held something for Lucy."

"Heh?

* * *

Lucy spent the rest of her night dealing with Natsu's inability to speak in a regular tone and trying to teach him basic etiquette. She was furious to say the least. But being as dense as her companion was, he didn't even suspect the problematics going on inside Lucy's mind. Happy would be able to read the atmosphere a hundred times before Natsu had the chance to realize something was wrong.

She wanted to leave and ask Juvia the question she's been storing inside. 'Why did you stay by his side all this time?' She never understood Juvia's obsession for Gray, but she admired the girl's dedication somehow.

Juvia was strong about her feelings, she wasn't afraid to show them, she was proud of them. When the blonde thought about her own attitude and her love life, she had to admit that Juvia was an example to be followed… when it came to persistence at least.

She looked in front of her and saw Natsu playing with his food. The girl sighed in defeat. She would break through the shyness barrier and confess her love, but not today.

As expected, she walked home frustrated with the uneventful night she had. She pushed her apartment door open and started undressing as she began getting ready to shower.

The hot water did help her relax. She started reflecting on her day and how she spent it, a habit she'd cultivated for years. It wasn't always a healthy habit, for instance, today was a good example of a day to forget.

Lucy left the bathroom wrapped in a towel and was overwhelmed by a different kind of memory. She could still see Gray sitting on the floor too embarrassed to sit beside her. She smiled and allowed herself to acknowledge the cause behind the sudden rush of joy she felt.

Glancing over her desk she spotted a block of paper lying on the wooden furniture. Lucy examined the material to find distinct hand writing. She started reading it only to realize they were notes left to her.

" _Your villain name should have at least one of these: High, Lord, Evil or my favorite; Dark! Same goes for your attacks, darkness all the way through. It's also common sense that you should repeat the attack's name each time you use it."_

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes, but even more the feeling she got from just reading a simple note. She failed to control her laughter and excessive smiling while reading the content on that small piece of paper.

" _You should hire a bunch of henchmen with terrible aim, and in the last battle, whenever you feel like you're going to kill the hero, you should hesitate and give him just enough time to avoid getting killed."_

" _Just before you succeed, you must reveal your whole plan, very slowly, so the hero can come up with a counter measure to defeat you. By the way, don't you ever threaten the hero's friends, or he'll keep coming back and back again like a plague."_

" _You must never attack the hero before he reaches his peak strength, let him grow stronger before you do something about him. Also, if you notice him making faces on his own while he's at trouble, don't worry, he's probably having a flashback of his sensei telling him something that will instantly defeat you."_

" _P.S: If you manage to catch the hero in a mortal trap, you should gloat and leave the place… your trap is fault proof, don't worry, he'll never leave."_

" _I hope it helps."_

By the end of the small text, Lucy was genuinely sad. To be completely honest about it, she missed Gray. It was the first time in a week they haven't met for the evil tutoring and she already missed him.

The night was well known to bring introspection to her. She paused and pondered over the smallest things, but today the only thing, or rather, the only person she could think about was him.

She couldn't get him out of her mind and she didn't feel like she needed to. She wanted him to be there with her, playing villain, laughing and spending time doing dumb things she'll probably be ashamed of when she becomes older.

It didn't matter right now; nothing else seemed to matter to her. Her only concern was to get close to him as soon as possible. Her reasons remained unknown, but she would soon realize that reason is usually overlooked when the unknown comes from the heart.

* * *

 **A/N: I am so so sorry about this tremendous delay in updates. I had this chapter done a long time ago, but I haven't had the time to focus on writing anything as of late and I just hate dropping things I started, like a few other fics I had to delete due to lack of time and / or interest. So I waited for the right time to come back here and make this chapter at least decent before I could post it.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy it, I also know it was meant to be submitted in September, so I'd like to take this chance to apologize as well.**


End file.
